Five Days
by FloatingCow
Summary: At the end of the first night during his time in Pitioss Dungeon, Noctis died. (Or how Noct spends five days in Pitioss, but to his friends it was only five minutes. He and his friends are then left to deal with the aftermath.)
1. Chapter 1

For the Kinkmeme prompt:

 **Brot4, Five Days in Pitioss, Five Minutes Outside -** "So I spent five fucking ingame days lost in Pitioss, and when I finally fucking got out, the bros act like they didn't even fucking notice I left, the fuckers. So I got to wondering if there was some sort of timey-wimey stuff where it was five days for Noctis, but only five minutes for everyone else, and very confused as to why he looks like he's been through hell and back and claiming its been fucking days."

 **I may consider doing more for this, buuuttt please forgive me if this is just how it ends. I'm not a skilled writer by any means, so please forgive me! Please enjoy and review/constructive criticize!**

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At the end of the first night during his time in Pitioss Dungeon, Noctis died.

He had simply lost his footing when jumping to a platform and fell into the endless abyss below. And that would have been the end of it - the line of Lucis and Noct, alone in this hellish deathtrap of a dungeon with no one knowing what had happened to him. That should have been it - The End. No more Kings of Lucis, no more Chosen King, no more Noct.

But it wasn't.

When Noct found himself standing in the spot just before his ill-placed jump, he knew he was not going to leave the same as he was when he came in. And it was only just the beginning.

Fortunately, his second day in Pitioss went more successfully. He managed to reach what appeared to be the center of this dungeon, a long walkway supported by nothing but endless darkness. He was starting to understand how this Six forsaken place worked. There were no monsters here, the dungeon itself was a monster in its own right. Daemonic damselflies flew with an odd sort of peace, and as Noct gazed upon them he was unsure if they were even really alive in here or just figments of his own imagination. Noctis had started to feel the isolation upon first entering Pitioss, but now it was sinking into his skin like something tangible.

Another thing about this dungeon that sat ill with him were the grotesque stains upon the walls and dripping from the ceiling. Starscourge - his instincts supplied him. After coming into contact with it once so long ago, the feeling never really left him. The plague hung heavy in the air, and he could feel it like a thick mist on his bare skin as he moved.

He wanted to turn back, this place was wrong. Two days in this place and he was feeling paranoid and fatigued, but he would not sleep here. Noct's futile attempts at contacting his friends only set him more on edge. There is no cell phone service in hell he supposed.

Things took a drastic change by the third day. Noctis died more times than he could count. Despite finding himself safe and unharmed after being skewered by those molten hot spikes, and plummeting into darkness, he could feel death choking him. That's what it was wasn't it? Death. What else could it be? He was dying and being brought back just to die again. This place was hell.

Noct sat on the floating walkway, rested his arms on his knees, and stared at the ceiling.

He wanted to return to the surface. Three days in this place and he was already struggling to remember what it was like. He wanted to return to Ignis' cooking, Gladio's training, and Prompto's antics. He felt so empty by this point, why had he even come down here? This was pointless.

He stood up in alarm when the thought of giving up crossed his mind. This was not the place he was going to spend all eternity, but with each step he took the further he got away from the hope of escaping.

What if he just let himself starve here? He was tired, going on four days without sleep and simple potions from his Armiger to keep his hunger and thirst from completely stopping his body. If he just stopped, stopped eating, stopped drinking, stopped sleeping, up until the point everything stopped(his breathing, his heartbeat, e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g), would he just wake back up again in this living nightmare?

On the night of the fourth day in Pitioss, Noctis curled up in a room unbound by gravity and fell asleep. He couldn't tell which way was up or down or if everything was pointless anyways. Because he wasn't getting out. He wanted to end his suffering here, to fall asleep and die and stay dead this time.

He dreamt of Umbra and Pryna, of glowing damselflies, of his friends waiting for him up above, of falling to his death, of Luna and Tenebrae, of being impaled upon the searing spiked traps, and of his father and his last words.

On the morning of the fifth day, Noctis awoke with tears of grief and tears of frustration clouding his eyes. He couldn't let this place claim him. It was not his time. He had others waiting for him. With renewed determination, Noctis stood up and stumbled his way to the crooked passageway leading out of the tilted room.

His nimbleness helped him with his runs and jumps, but he still held his breath and closed his eyes each time he fell into the endless black. Panic and willpower kept him moving swiftly and he wouldn't think about how every misstep would lead him to death. It was all he could do to just escape.

Before he knew it he was at the very bottom of Pitioss, looking up at Eos - because who else could she be?

The mother astral of their world trapped in the terminal dregs of this pit. Noctis knew he was the only living human to have come here, maybe he was the only human to have ever come down here in however many millennia Pitioss had been in existence. But in this moment it was just them. A goddess and a king chosen by the Crystal. And maybe it was because he was Chosen that he could even enter Pitioss and see the secrets that lie within. It was empty. Just him and her down here at the end.

She was trapped here for all eternity, but he could still be free.

The sight of her statue fueled his determination and kept his second wind from dying. Panting hard, Noct leapt upon the statue and fate guided him further towards where his path would end - the exit.

He was going back to the surface, this is not the place where he dies. His legs pumped and his lungs burned, he was ascending, going up where he had only been going down before. This place was madness, but he refused to give up again.

Noct reached an elevator, and by its ascent he could see warm light leaking in. He broke into a sprint, up ahead was a window to the evening sky. He roared in exhaustion and anger, snagging up the last treasure before jumping out the window at full speed.

It hurt when he landed, but Noctis was done. He rolled onto his back and basked in the red and gold hues of the setting sun. His hungry gasps settled to a soft whimper and he put an arm over his eyes.

Tears started spilling forth, angry and sad. His mouth twisted into a grimace as he thought back on the dungeon. He regretted going in. Was it really worth it? He knows what happened will never really leave him. He never should have entered Pitioss. Despite feeling the last bits of sun on his face, he feels as if he never really escaped.

Five days in this place, and he had lost so much more than he had gained.

"Noctis?"

He gasped but remained where he was, he knew his friends must have been out of their minds worrying about why he had been gone so long, but at the moment he felt so weak. He honestly thought he would never see them again. Settling his breathing at their approach was harder than he thought it would be.

"You okay bro?" At Prompto's questioning he resolved to sit up.

Noctis let out a deep, shuddering breath and looked up at the three pairs of eyes examining him. He tried to smile, but it turned out more a grimace.

He felt like he was grieving and he didn't know why. He just didn't want to fall apart the moment he saw his trio of friends. They hadn't seen his tears yet. Noct was stronger than this, but by the Six, it was so hard after everything he had been through.

"You came back pretty quick?" At Prompto's cautious sarcasm, Noct threw his head up and laughed. He couldn't help it, it was tears of relief this time, and he only had practiced with frustration and sadness before.

The trio in front of him hid their alarm at seeing Noct act so strange. Ignis knelt beside him and looked him in the eyes.

"Are you alright your Highness?"

Wiping the tears from his eyes he nodded his head.

"I will be." It was hollow and he knew it, he could barely believe his own lie.

"Why are you back so soon though?" Gladio's gruff voice set Noct on edge. Something wasn't right. He was starting to feel like Prompto's earlier sarcasm was maybe not a joke at all.

"What do you mean?" Noct stood up and grit his teeth. He wanted to leave and never return, this whole experience had discouraged him and he was exhausted. The frustration he felt began to creep up again.

Ignis stood up to meet him and held his hands out incase Noctis needed to be steadied.

"Were you attacked? You appear to be tired."

Noct couldn't help but scoff mildly at Ignis' question.

"No, there were no monsters down there. But what do you expect? It's not like I had a chance to come get cleaned up and sleep."

Gladio crossed his arms across from him.

"If there were no monsters then why'd you come back so soon? Did you need us already?"

Noct felt his patience slipping. He couldn't help the sharp tone that slipped out his voice.

"What the hell are you talking about? It's over, I'm done! I was in there for five days, and you act like it was nothing!"

Maybe Noct was feeling alittle hurt, his anger was due to being trapped in hell for five days. But he could see the anger starting to simmer in Gladio, which was in response to Noct's own anger and the confusion of the situation.

"No, what the hell are you talking about? If this place is too much for you to handle alone then think again! We came all this way and are not leaving without whatever we came here for. So stop acting spoiled for not being able to drag us along to babysit you." Gladio, looking at the state Noct was in and realizing he crossed a line, sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He ignored Ignis' reprimanding stare and continued. "Sorry, whatever was in that placed ruffed you up, I can tell. Something is just not adding up though. It's barely been ten minutes since we saw you leave for the entrance."

Gladio's amendment deflated Noct's frustration slightly leaving only a feeling of defeat. Had Pitioss distorted his sense of time? He let out a bitter laugh.

"It was hell, and you guys act like it was nothing... All the days I spent in there." An ugly feeling rose up in Noctis at the thought. A heavy silence hung in the air.

"...days?" Prompto asked what had been on their minds since Noct first mentioned it.

"What time is it?" Noct asked instead. He would pull up his own phone, but it had died after his desperate attempts of trying to contacting them after dying the first time and realizing he may never escape.

Prompto quickly pulled out his cell and relayed the time.

"It's a quarter past eight."

The dungeon had only opened its doors at eight on the day he entered.

Sensing the direction this was going, Prompto added, "Still on Sunday."

Panic was setting in for Noct by now. He pushed his palms into his eyes and ground out, "Its been days for me! I was trapped there for five days!".

Noct felt distressed, Pitioss was distorted in every sense. He felt like he was going crazy. By now the sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the trio in the looming shadow of Pitioss.

"Highness, we should probably be on our way. It is dangerous out here and regardless of what happened, we are leaving and it's safe to say we are never coming back." Ignis took a gentle hold of Noct's arm, and guided him away from what had become a prison to him.

"Yeah,... yeah your right." Noct let himself be led away, knowing full well it wasn't over.

"We have encountered stranger things before, it would not be too much of a stretch to say that time was distorted for you while you were in there. It would help explain the state you are in Noct." At Ignis' words Noct started to relax. Feeling the hell that was the past few days for him, but mere minutes for the others, be put behind him.

For Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto, it really had been but a few minutes. They hadn't even started to feel bored without Noct yet, while he had been struggling to escape alive. As the group walked back with an exhausted Noct in tow, they could feel the confusion fading and an unwanted realization dawned upon them. Noct really had been in that dungeon for five days while it had only been a brief moment for them. How must he have felt alone down there? Even other dungeons hadn't taken as long to complete, and they had been together.

There was something they weren't understanding here, something troubling had taken root in Noct and it was out of their hands. He had come out different. Their minds were grasping at straws trying to think of ways to understand what had happened and how to make it better.

Prompto sidled up to Noct and helped him sit by the campfire. His guilt wouldn't leave him. There was something they were missing, and Noct wasn't going to let them in on it.

He had never seen his friend look so tired, it was as if he had died and returned a ghost of who he once was.

"I'm sorry." Prompto started. Sorry for not understanding. Sorry for what happened. Sorry for not being able to make it right.

Noct leaned against him. As Ignis and Gladio set up camp, the two by the fire could feel the older two's full focus being drawn to the conversation that was about to follow.

"About what? It's not like you guys could have followed me down there, and I guess in the end I'm glad for that." Noct let out a deep breath. He couldn't let out what really happened down there, he didn't want to talk about the horrors, relive it and have the nightmare chase him up here too. How could he explain that he had died? Not only once, but close to hundreds of times? He was relieved he had finally escape, and glad they had not been trapped down there with him. In the end, he was glad of their ignorance.

"At first... I maybe felt a bit of resentment towards you guys after I escaped, but you didn't know what had happened." Ignis' lips thinned as he listened in on their conversation, the use of the word 'escaped' set off his alarm bells. The way Gladio glanced at him and the way Prompto looked away told him he wasn't the only one who felt ill at ease.

Ignis paused in his cooking to turn to Noct, prepared to ask what they all wanted to know.

In a strange twist of irony, as Ignis was about to pry deeper into what happened, Gladio cut him off with a pointed look. Gladio was usually the one to ask the tough questions, unheeded of their prince's feelings.

Noct continued, "I guess I'm kinda of glad though, despite what I had to go through, I was able to pick us up so many useful items." He didn't really feel like that though, not really. This whole trip was a disaster, and this was just the extra dash of hell to wrap it all together. He bowed his head and hoped no one saw through his deception. It wasn't entirely a lie, he did get a hoard of items, he just felt it wasn't worth it anymore. And it just wasn't the whole truth either, but that was where he would leave it.

"Thank you guys though, I am glad you are here for me." And with a smile that was all too fake, he said "I'm ready for some good food and a long night's rest!".

The others wanted to ask, 'what did you go through?' and make everything all right. Ignis wanted to face Noct and let him know things would be okay, Gladio wanted to reignite the passion he had seen in Noct before he left just earlier that day, and Prompto clung to Noct like he could actually feel the five days that stretched between them like an eternity. They had unknowingly failed their crown prince, and wanted things to go back to how they were before. Before Insomnia fell and before they let him leave for Pitioss.

But as they sat around the campfire and let the silence drag, they couldn't help but feel that they had already lost Noctis.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I am a fan of happy endings, and originally it was going to end at ch. 1. even though sad endings do in fact make me sad. But that ending had been stewing in my head for awhile and Ms. Zeal left a comment which has finally pushed me to giving this a better(?) ending.(Thank you so much Ms. Zeal for your awesome review btw, I will try to end it on a better note, it's just a matter of skill/knowing how...which I'm short on lol) Originally it was a kinkmeme fill, but now the 'epilogue' is 2x longer than the actually story, srry. Alright, so please forgive any mistakes, etc. I have no beta and don't write much outside of research essays. There are also alot of self-indulgent scenes, so uhh, yeah. Enjoy!**

 **Please leave a review or some constructive criticism!**

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"Noct! Get your head in the game!"

Gladio's voice grated on Noctis's ears. "I'm on it, alright?" he replied as his Shield pulled him up over the side of the bridge they were currently fighting on.

The heat from the Red Giant's sword, and the pitch blackness below the bridge had been all too familiar. Noctis had stalled. For one moment, he had been back _there._ And he would much prefer death by endless fall over death by fiery impalement. Noct figured he would just find himself back in the spot before he fell. A pit formed in his stomach. If Gladio had not been right next to him, it really would have been game over for good this time.

Gladio gave him a weary glance before moving his eyes back over to the daemon. The Red Giant's attention was being held by Ignis and Prompto, and he wondered if they saw how close they had been to losing Noctis. Of course they had noticed the change in him since leaving Ravatough's shadow. Gladio had thought that by leaving Noct alone he would be able to handle it by himself. It was clearly what Noct wanted.

Gladio could give it to him that Noctis was in fact trying. It was just frustrating him to no end that Noct's mind hadn't left that place when the rest of them did. It was supposed to be Gladiolus' job to think for Noct when Noct couldn't think. And he had been doing a whole lot of thinking in the past few weeks. In fact, so had Ignis and Prompto.

Pitioss had stolen Noctis away.

"Noct, take a moment and clear your head. When you remember where you are feel free to join us." Gladio readied his greatsword and charged back into the fray. A well place shot to the back of the knee, courtesy of Prompto, had the daemon in a vulnerable position. He heaved his weapon into a lethal arc through the giant's neck, and Ignis vaulted in next to him to finish it off.

The lance took the opening made by Gladio's sword and moments later the daemon was a disintegrating puddle at their feet. Noct looked on and felt nothing but disgust at his own ineptitude. He could understand his bodyguard's growing frustration as the days went on.

Was this how it was going to be for the rest of their journey? For the rest of his life? His eyes stung at the thought. He could feel his friend's gaze on him. He could tell from the intensity that Gladio was seething. Before, he would have held that gaze as a challenge, whereas now he just averted his eyes. Were they judging him unworthy now? Even he knew he couldn't continue like this.

The drive until the group stopped for camp was quiet. Whether the two up front in the Regalia were aware of how tense it was between Gladio and Noct was left to anyone's idea. Noctis leaned his head against the glass and listened to the engine's rhythmic purr. Any other day it would have lulled him to sleep, but with the agitation brought from being next to Gladio he found it impossible. He was glad the rest of the drive to the haven was a short one, the Red Giant had ambushed them only fifteen minutes away from their destination.

They had just finished setting up camp when it started to rain. The group crawled into the tent and readied themselves for bed.

"Tomorrow morning Noct, we're going to train." It wasn't a request. With that, Gladio rolled over and turned off the lantern despite a short "hey!" from Prompto who was still undressing.

Noct buried his head into the sleeping bag and curled his cold toes. He drifted off to the patter of rain on canvas and the thoughts of not being good enough swirling through his mind.

...

"You're at a wall Noct, and you need to overcome it."

The next morning found Noct and Gladio under an overcast sky. Noctis's blue gaze observed the looming gray clouds above. From what Ignis had said, it was likely to rain all week. His focus shifted back to the man in front of him.

"There is nothing we can do about whatever happened to you back in Pitioss. For now, I want to help you push through whatever slump it's put you in. I will be a substitute wall for you to overcome. We won't leave this campsite until I feel you are ready."

Noct found himself rear-first in a cold puddle before he could even register what had happened. He bit back anger at his own self incompetence - training with Gladio had never been so difficult. What hurt more was that Gladio hadn't even raised the difficulty.

"Gladio... I don't know if this is the best solution." Ignis interrupted. He knew it was the only way Gladio knew how to help, but he didn't think it was the _right_ way to help. Prompto jumped from where he had been squatting to go help a disgruntled Noct.

"I have to agree with Ignis, Big Guy. I don't think we should settle things like this." Prompto pulled his hands back as Noct waved him off.

When Noct stood back up, his voice came off colder than he meant. "In the end, it is my decision. I want to continue."

And this is how it continued for the next several days. Occasionally Ignis or Prompto would join in and aid Gladio, and Noct would find himself changing out of his soaking clothes more than he ever had in his entire life. Water sloshed around them as they came at each other half-heartedly every morning. The soaked earth soon became a familiar acquaintance to Noct, with Gladio remaining tall -and dry- above him. It was getting old.

"Haven't seen Umbra in awhile." Prompto mentioned one evening when the clouds broke just enough for the sun to peak through and stain them a gorgeous red and gold.

Noct inclined his head. "I think he is aware of how things are right now. He probably won't come."

"Umbra tends to stick to the shadows, I am sure he is just waiting patiently. He always seems to come around when he is needed." Ignis elaborated. He turned his sharp gaze to their prince. "We have time, Noct."

Noctis let out a deep sigh. Umbra wasn't the only one waiting for him. Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis weren't the only ones waiting for him.

"Tomorrow, we are leaving. I can't keep everyone waiting like this." He turned his head to Gladio. "I'll win our fight, and we can continue."

Gladio let out a short laugh and grinned. It was just what he wanted to hear. He held up his beer in a 'cheers' motion and said "I'll hold you to it, your Highness."

Prompto placed an arm around Noct and pulled him in for a selfie, the beautiful sunset clouds acting as a back light. "Finally, we're leaving this muddy campsite! Whoohoo!"

Sure enough, the next day Noct held true to his word.

Gladio grunted as Noct pulled him to his feet. "Good job Noct."

Noct smirked, "Nothin to it, guess I just needed some time to get back on my feet."

Ignis came up and gave Noct a pat on the shoulder, "Well then, if we're done here, let's be on our way." Ignis's eyes shown with a pride in Noct that he felt guilty to receive.

...

"After we complete this hunt, we will spend the night at the nearby haven and then arrive in Cape Caem by mid-morning." Rain and the thud of chocobo feet against wet earth nearly drowned out Ignis's relay of their plan.

They were nearing their target, Arbas - tall and lithe, their curled horns and red hooves surprisingly sharp for herbivorous creatures. The group dismounted their birds to slay the rogue herd. They had taken on several hunts since leaving the campsite, the money from this would even out their expenses.

Noct was fighting at the top of his game, it seemed his time training with Gladio had helped reignite his confidence. The Ultima Blade hummed in his hands, sharp and sleek - it cut through the hides of their prey as easily as it would the rain drops around him.

A link strike with Prompto took down the bull Arba, and the rest of the herd went into a frenzy. Noct and his group were able to remain collected, muscle memory allowing them to dance in time to the beat of a familiar enemy. A routine fight by now, Noctis and his friends had fought stronger enemies together hundreds of times.

Skidding through the mud, he phased around an Arba's horn as it tried to snag him. Appearing behind the beast, he had not prepared for it to kick out behind itself so suddenly.

If this had been a normal fight, Noct would have easily stepped to the side. But instead, as the red hoof gleamed towards him, he was suddenly back in Pitioss.

He squeezed his eyes shut so that he would not see himself impaled upon red-hot iron spikes. Fear froze him and he heard an otherworldly call.

Ignis tackled him to the side when suddenly the rain and wind picked up.

"Noctis! Noct, are you okay?!" He opened his eyes and Ignis's panicked face was suddenly drained of color. Lightning crackled overhead. Ignis, eyes wide, turned as quick as he could to give his warning.

"Everyone get down!"

Noctis had just enough time to realize his vision had been tainted red with magic before the world lit up.

Ignis covered Noct's body with his own as Ramuh's wrath was released mere meters before them. The explosion deafened him, and even though his eyes were closed the blinding light pierced through his eyelids. The earth shuddered beneath them and Ignis's grip on him grew painfully tight, both of them biting back screams. The violent boom seemed to echo for ages throughout his core and the voltage burnt across his skin.

Finally, when the rumbling seemed to settle, he and Ignis drew in a collective breath. Blinding veins of electricity still ran along the ground and the storm still lingered at their backs. Ignis turned to look at him and when Noct saw the red magic of his own eyes reflect in Ignis's he turned to survey the damage instead.

The might of an astral had been called upon against some woodland creatures that had already had their fate sealed.

Noct grimaced at the thought. He felt Ramuh and the lingering magic fade, the sudden storm settling back into a lazy rain.

The unsettling silence that always occurred after an astral was summoned dragged on for even longer than usual. Noct had hoped that he was getting better, was every fight going to send him back to that damned dungeon?

Ignis tried to give him a look of understanding, but all Noct saw was pity.

"...don't look at me like that." Noctis turned away, unable to stand making eye contact with his oldest friend and most trusted adviser. His loyalty was undeserved. Noct felt frustration at his own incompetence begin to build, but before he could do anything about it Ignis placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Noct, it's okay to recover. Even if it takes you awhile, we will wait until you are ready." Sensing Noct's imminent downspiral into self hate, Ignis continued with a completely serious face, "I hope knowing that will help ease your _storm_ of emotions."

He still felt that he was nothing but a disappointment, but whatever frustration had been building had simmered at Ignis's words. He knew his adviser was just as worried as he was, but his attempts at easing Noct's mind did not go unnoticed. Ignis was not making light of Noct's situation, they both knew he was still plagued by past trauma.

"Ugh, really Specs?" Noct played along with Ignis's fake bravado. He couldn't bring the humor to his voice.

...

That night, Noct dreamed of falling into nothingness. He was running through the corridors of Pitioss. His heart beating with a metallic echo in time to his footsteps. His eyes stung at the thought that he was letting his team down. Letting everyone down. The floor opened up beneath him and he fell and fell and fell.

A fire red claw hooked into him like he was bait for one of his fish. He looked down, or was it up or to the side? And saw the simmering skewers emerging through his leg and above his hip. Burning flesh had him clasping a hand over his nose and mouth, he knew he should be feeling pain but all he felt was panic. This wound would kill him (despite the fact that it hadn't, no matter how hard he had wished, no matter how long it had tortured him, nothing had mattered in Pitioss). His struggles were useless. He didn't want to die here. He didn't want to die.

He didn't want to die alone.

Tears spilled down his face and a pained groan rumbled its way out of his chest before becoming an anguished scream. His body slid free from the spikes and a giant skull adorned in a crown of molten thorns opened its gaping maw and swallowed him. He sunk into the bowels of hell and an unnatural darkness closed in around him, ready to snuff out the last of his light. Noctis would suffer here forever. He could never escape Pitioss, no matter how close it seemed. It would continue to torment him, and him alone.

All the burdens he has faced he has had to face alone.

- _But you're not alone, Noct._

Carbuncle stood before him, cloaked in a silver glow illuminating the bowels of Pitioss. Horns, hell-fire, and putrid disease lingered in the edges of Noct's vision, barely being kept to the shadows by Carbuncle's soft light.

The prince reached out tentatively "...Carbuncle?"

- _The one and only! You looked like you needed some help, so, what say you to getting out of this nightmare?_

"Carbuncle please!" Noct gasped. "Yes! Please, help me escape!" he cried out.

The little fox spirit leapt into Noct's arms and he clung to him like he was drowning. Noct buried his face into Carbuncle's fur and let out a shuddering cry.

Light engulfed them and he found himself in a field, his brothers waiting at a campsite on the golden horizon. At the change in scenery, Noct let out a relieved sigh. It was as if the past fear had completely melted out of him, and Noctis felt so, so grateful to have Carbuncle watch over him. Noctis knew he would always be safe in his care.

He looked down at Carbuncle in his arms and the small spirit raised his head to meet Noct's gaze.

- _Remember what I told you Noct? I'll always protect you through your darkest dreams. I will not leave you alone in this._

Carbuncle turned his head towards where the others resided.

 _-And neither will they._

Noct ran his fingers through the fox's soft fur, the thrum of Carbuncle's purr easing him more than he could have imagined.

 _-You're not alone Noct._

Noct could start to feel the pull of wakefulness, Carbuncle jumped down and indicated he head towards his friends. Noctis paused.

"Carbuncle!" He called out to his guardian. Tears of gratitude made his vision blurry. He bowed his head and nodded.

"Thanks."

Carbuncle chirped, and his tail wagged.

 _-Anytime Noct. :)_

...

Dinner was quite except for the clinks of silverware. The mood of the camp was somber. Noctis sighed and the others stilled.

"I died in Pitioss."

It was as if time had stopped, the other's holding their breaths and not daring to move a muscle. He could see the shock on their faces and his own blood ran ice cold at the thought of what he just said.

The campfire crackled, Noct had absolutely not meant to say that.

A rapid _clinking_ of a metal fork drew his attention to Prompto's rattling hand - his friend was trying to hide the fact he was shivering. Noct realized it was too late to turn back, he couldn't just dismiss his friends like that.

"I guess it was fortunate that I didn't stay dead." A bitter laugh trailed at the end of that sentence and Noct shut his eyes, he couldn't face his friends' expressions.

"The reason that I was the only one able to enter Pitioss is probably because I am the only one tied to the Crystal. That is probably the reason the magic in Pitioss was able to bring me back... every time I failed." Noct paused before continuing.

"I wasn't lying when I said there were no daemons in Pitioss. It was just me. Alone." He clenched his fists. "It was still hell regardless." His friends looked like they wanted to interrupt, the fear in their eyes saying more than he needed to know.

"Guys, thank you for your support so far, but I can't let it continue like this." He desperately continued, if anyone stopped him now he felt it would be as good as a death sentence. Noct's resolve grew stronger.

"I know this isn't a problem that will go away so easily, but I don't want to sit down and let it take me." Noct's fierce blue gaze met with Gladio's.

"You were right, I am at a wall. I need to prove to myself that I am strong enough to continue. Please, let me try one more time- a 'final trial' of sorts." Noct stood.

"I need to know I will be strong enough for what lies ahead. I am not ready now, I don't know if I ever will be. But I need to know that I will at least be strong enough. For that, I want everyone to come at me seriously. This will be the final challenge - to prove that I have what it takes to continue." He pleaded with all the dignity of a king.

Gladio knew this was much more serious than he could handle. The feelings that he had failed Noct returned full-force, and the pressure of his duty as Shield nearly suffocated him. This wasn't something he alone could fix. It wasn't something Noct alone could fix.

But Noct was now asking him for another chance, Gladio wanted to laugh at how warped that was. _He_ should be begging _Noctis_ for another chance after having failed to protect him.

Pride curled in him however, Noct's ambition at continuing forward made him feel lucky to be in his service.

He met his liege's challenging gaze head on. "If that is what His Majesty wishes, then I will be happy to serve." Despite the smirk, his words were spoken with complete honesty.

Ignis raised his head. "The feeling is mutual."

Prompto had a hand over his mouth - clearly still unable to focus on anything but the fact that Noct had _died -_ and was intently focused on one of the haven's softly glowing symbols. "...yea."

Noct, satisfied at their approval, started gathering for bed.

"We will start tomorrow then. While I want you guys to give it your all, we wont give each other injuries that can't be healed with a potion. When you come at me, come at me with everything you've got - I will do the same." He dismissed them with that.

Sometime later during the night, long after everyone had settled for sleep, Noct was accidentally nudged awake.

Prompto was grasping onto him as if he would vanish any second. His shirt at his back was clenched painfully tight in Prompto's fists. Noct wasn't one for cuddling, but Prompto was and he wouldn't deny his friend a chance.

He lifted his arm and felt Prompto's own snake its way under to secure his chest. His friend's head rested against his back, and he could feel the silent tears Prompto had been trying to hide.

"I'm sorr-"

"Prompto, listen. You have done more than enough, just by standing by my side for so long. I am just so thankful, that you, and Ignis, and Gladio are here with me. We can't change what happened, but I can promise you I will make it right."

Noct rolled over to lock their gazes. "So please, tomorrow give it your all."

Prompto closed his eyes and nodded, his lip quivering. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't. Thanks." Noct smiled.

...

Rain fell around the group as they squared off.

"You guys ready?" Noct looked at his three friends as they stood opposite of him. They stood tall and proud, and he wondered what he looked like in their eyes.

Ignis signaled that they were ready. All his muscles coiled like a spring, tense and on edge. Everyone held their breath. Noct steeled his gaze. "Let's do this."

Gladio immediately seized the first move by throwing his sword at Noct. He was trying to distract Noct from Ignis as the adviser used his abilities to strengthen their team.

Catching onto this, Noct locked gazes with Ignis. Ignis scowled. "Be on guard, he is likely to target me first."

Noct was suddenly mere inches from him, flat end of a polearm aiming for the side of his head.

Gladio came to Ignis's rescue with a quick thrust of his shield, Noct jumping back just in time. His feet splashed in the water and Noct pulled out a spell.

Noctis threw the spell into the center of the three. A Thunder spell with no force, but it was enough to break their tight formation. Ignis was now left unguarded and Noct took the opportunity to warp back at him.

A blow to the back of the knee had Ignis fall forward and he barely rolled out of the way as Noct's spear came down. He kicked up at Noct who managed to phase through it.

A victory cry from Prompto caught Noct's attention and Ignis took the opportunity to knock him off balance and into Prompto's explosion.

The prince rolled back to his feet after enduring it, water plastering his hair to his face and looking a little more than miffed. Ignis took the time to heal himself.

Prompto stood before him and Noct charged at their gunner. Gladio swooped in and Noct backed off, instead trying to circle around them.

When he closed in again, Noct started to lose himself in the confusion of this battle. He needed to take at least one of them down, but he was finding that impossible with how often they would switch places. His main target at the moment was Ignis, his adviser was the one healing them and holding their position. Every time one of his opponents looked like they would drop out, they would switch and be healed by Ignis, nulling all of Noct's work.

Noct threw his lance into the air, warping up to it before using the momentum to warp back down onto Gladio's shield. It held steady.

He charged at Ignis once more, but a training bullet laced with Stop from Prompto had him frozen. Gladio heaved up into him with the blunt end of his sword and Noct nearly went flying out of their designated ring. His body rolled across the wet ground and he popped a potion as he stood up. Noct knew he would still be feeling _that_ in the morning.

Noct glared at his friends. He wasn't planning on losing, but his friends weren't planning to make that easy for him. He was grateful they had taken his words to heart. It was time to turn the tides of this battle.

Noctis activated his Armiger and charged, Prompto screaming out a "whoa!"

He flew at Ignis and Gladio stepped in his way. The Royal Arms bared down on his shield one after the other and both men found their only hope in outlasting the onslaught. At this moment he was unstoppable, Prompto's desperate attempts at drawing Noct off useless - the rapid-firing training bullets completely unphasing him.

Noct's stamina couldn't last forever, but the force behind Noct's attacks was outstanding. Gladio's shield wouldn't be able to stand up to the task. The crystalline weapons started slipping passed Gladio and Ignis knew it would be over soon.

Ignis was proud of Noctis's strength despite being the target of it. He knew once he went down the others would follow shortly.

Gladio reached his limit and was knocked back, both men feeling the full force of the barrage. Ignis knew he wouldn't be able to withstand it and tapped out.

Instantly the Royal Arms were aimed at both Gladio and Prompto before they flickered out without having been able to cause much damage. Noctis panted from the exertion and applied another potion.

Prompto came in with a kick to his hip and Noctis used the momentum to flip back a safe distance. Gladio's sword swung round at him, water droplets trailing off the end in an arc. He dodged and saw Prompto preparing his machinery for another explosive burst.

Noct full-body charged into him, trying to push him back and out of their ring. He heard Prompto grunting at the exertion and knew the gunner was tiring. He jumped back as Prompto pulled out a gun, in addition to the machinery he was already holding, and started firing point blank.

The gun disappeared and Prompto swung his weapon back for an attack that Noct knew would end the match if he was hit again.

He took the chance to warp forward as Prompto pulled his machinery back and used their combined momentum to swing the gunner out of the ring. He heard the gunner land with a splash in the grass below.

It was just Gladiolus now.

Noctis brought his sword in front of him. The greatsword of his opponent sparked as the tip was dragged across the rock beneath them in a crescent shape as it was held before Gladio.

Noct charged forward and brought his sword down to meet with Gladio's. He pushed with all his might in an attempt to ring-out Gladio, the Shield's feet sliding minutely against the wet ground in effort to gain purchase. They teetered at the edge of the ring. The rain pelted them and drowned out all surrounding noises.

Suddenly, it was just Noct and the wall he needed to overcome. Just him, and the obstacle preventing him from continuing forward.

Gladio pushed back and he started losing ground. Noct would never be able to out force Gladio.

Instead he phased to the side, and with no counter balance, Gladio tumbled forward.

Noct jumped on the chance and tackled Gladio the rest of the way to the ground, pinning him with his sword. Gladio's sword dissipated with a crystalline shimmer, and he raised his hands in surrender with a relieved laugh.

"You win, Noct." He didn't know if it was the rain or not that made Gladio's eyes appear wet. He helped him stand back up.

Noct rubbed at his own wet eyes. "I did, thanks for giving your best."

"Heh, always knew you had it in you." Gladio gave him a playful punch to the shoulder as the other two rejoined them from the sidelines.

Prompto slung an arm around him and whined.

"Brooo, why did you have to throw me so far?! I've got mud and sticks all in my hair!" He made it a point to wipe some of it off on Noct.

Ignis cleaned his glasses next to them. "How do you feel, Noct?"

They all turned to him for an answer.

Noct closed his eyes and gave them the most sincere smile they had ever seen.

...

The sun arrived with them at Cape Caem, tinting everything in sight a stunning gold.

Noct watched contentedly as the wind played with Prompto's hair while he set up the camera for a group picture, the light of the morning sun making his blond hair glimmer. The group savored their last moments here.

"Yeah... this is definitely a keeper." Prompto angled the camera for them to see, and Noct found himself agreeing. It was one of the most beautiful pictures he had ever seen, and his friends had been apart of it.

"Yeah, definitely one to look back on to commemorate our journey." Gladio angled it closer. Ignis nodded in agreement and turned to Noct.

"Well Noct, you ready to push forward yet?"

Noctis looked towards the lighthouse and smiled. Up ahead, bathed in golden sunlight -

"With everything I got."

Umbra waited patiently.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **I feel like at the end it was more than just Noct overcoming his trauma from Pitioss, he was also resolving over his fate in general. There are hints that they may be using Umbra to return the past, and in the game you can only get to Pitioss after the story is over. But it is up to the reader however on when this takes place, on whether this is before they leave for Altissia, or anytime after.**

 **Please, leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Thank you again for reading!**


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